A HEREFORDSHIRE pub has been told major improvement is needed after it was handed a one-star food hygiene rating by inspectors.

The inspection on March 14 found issues with food safety at the Full Pitcher in Ledbury, including dried rodent droppings, a dirty fridge and freezer, and vegetables kept on the carvery counter for up to three hours.

The pub received an overall rating of one out of five, with the inspector saying major improvement was needed in the management of food safety, while improvement was also needed in the cleanliness and condition of the building and facilities and hygienic food handling.

Records were called into question by the inspector, who said the business had not done enough to show how they manage food safety. The food business was also not registered by the pub's new operator.

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Issues found included dried rodent droppings in a shed being used for food storage, which had small gaps in its structure which could have allowed pests to get in. The door was also left open.

Parts of the food storage area were also described by the inspector as "very dirty", including the fridge and freezer.

"You must thoroughly clean and disinfect the internal bottom surface of this fridge and freezer and establish cleaning procedures," the inspector wrote.

The inspector said that during a re-inspection later that day, the fridge and freezer had been cleaned.

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"You must seal all holes within the structure of this shed to prevent rodent entry," said the inspector.

"You must also keep the shed door closed to prevent rodent entry."

The pub was asked about the temperature monitoring records of vegetables on its carvery counter, but could not demonstrate that the temperature had been checked or prove the length of time they had been on the counter. The inspector said it was possible they could have been left on the counter for up to three hours.

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"You must ensure that the vegetables on the carvery counter if on display for more than two hours are held at a temperature at 63 degrees or hotter," the inspector wrote.

"As part of your food safety management system, you should have a procedure in place to monitor the temperature of the vegetables and to demonstrate the time on display."

We have attempted to contact Stonegate, the pub company that owns the Full Pitcher, and they said that they do not have any comment at this time.